Beyond Behaviors: Chapter 3

In this chapter the author illustrates examples of individual differences in neurodevelopment.  She outlines differences in the body, how sensations are managed, personal thoughts and feelings.

Dr. Delahooke has noticed a pattern of anxiety in the nervous systems of children who have suffered from intrusive medical procedures, trauma, and prolonged physical or emotional pain.  These children have adapted to these situations in a way that they may often become disobedient, insecure, bossy, and plagued by separation anxiety.

Physical illnesses can adversely affect a child's behavior due to the uncomfortable sensations.

 You won’t be able to comprehend behavior without understanding how the child interprets the world through sensory input.  Teachers are not trained to understand this critical impact on behavior. The following link will take you to a website where you can go through a checklist and identify sensory issues your child might have.

Profectum Parent Toolbox

These posters are available at https://consciousdiscipline.com/resources/safe-place-sensory-integration-signs/ Place these in your safe place to help identify sensory problems.

According to Dr. Delahooke (2019):

              The role of sensory processing in children’s overall development is not yet integrated into the fields of mental health, education or social work in any comprehensive way, even though it is a foundational piece of the puzzle as we interpret children’s behaviors and how to help them. (p.68)

Without this understanding, we disable our effectiveness in helping children calm.  Older children and adults that are triggered, may slip into bottom up strategies, as they are in red or blue pathways.  Support from the bottom up,  will lead us to the green pathway and back to higher brain function.

Sometimes, subconsciously, we pair a sensation with an emotion. In the case, that the sensory experience was negative, the created memory will be negative. These can be triggered by a similar experience causing a child to move to the red pathway.

Children who are sensitive and over react to sensations are likely to have problems with anxiety or the need to control. 

We are well versed in the basic five senses, however Dr. Lucy Jane Miller, has added three more systems:

Vestibular:  The information about position and accretion of head and body and its relation to gravity

Proprioceptive:  Processes sensation in muscles and joints

Interoceptive:  how body organs feel and sensations in the body

 An imbalance of these can cause sensory discomfort and lead to behavior problems.

Basically, sensory systems react to body and brain connections.  These can be influenced by genetics and prenatal, relational, and/or physical environments.  A sensory experience coded with emotion turned memory would trigger a child by a sensation, feeling or thought based on the negative experience.

Watch the TED talk by Nadine Burke Harris.  See if you can see some parallel consequences of trauma on both Mental and Physical Health.